


heavy hurts will bleed

by littlelooneyluna



Category: robron
Genre: Angst, Future Fic, M/M, teen!Seb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 04:34:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15941897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlelooneyluna/pseuds/littlelooneyluna
Summary: “Who’s Lachlan?” Seb asks, and Aaron feels like the walls are closing in around them as Robert almost falls back into his arms. There’s too many memories now, they’re swirling about in his mind so much that he feels sick.





	heavy hurts will bleed

**Author's Note:**

> i am on a roll with teen!seb soz

Seb’s got his hands down the sweetie jar when Belle stalks over to him more plastered than he wants to admit. She’s got something glittery running through her hair, almost like a tassel that’s got caught and he smiles at her as she huffs out a sigh and sits down next to him.

Seb knows his own family, knows that Belle has always looked out for him, hugged him a little longer than was necessary but now she has these big sad eyes on him and he wants to tell her to quit it.

“Alright?” He’s got a hand falling over the gummy ring and he hooks it around his finger before fishing it out with ease.

Belle doesn’t say anything, just reaches for a glass of wine and yeah it’s a family thing but she’s putting them back like it’s Christmas. 

“I was.” Belle says, all vague and unhelpful and Seb looks across to where his dads are sitting. They’re in a world of their own, playing with each other’s hands when they think no one else is looking and it’s sickening but he supposes he shouldn’t go and bother them.

They’re old, they probably need time to be soft before Annie goes and —

Annie bundles across them both and Aaron has her on his shoulders within a matter of seconds as Seb stares at them and almost forgets about the way Belle is still staring at him.

“You look like him sometimes.” Belle says, and Seb blinks out his confusion. She’s had too many, she’s rambling, she probably thinks he’s someone else. “You argue with your dad and I see that look, that — that anger. Sorry. No I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

Seb chooses to ignore her, offer a kind smile and leave before she gets even more weird but then she pulls him back by the arm. 

“I’m talking about Lachlan.” Belle says, and the name means nothing to him. He doesn’t know what it should mean but —

“Should I get Lee?” Belle’s boyfriend, he’s got an allotment, he’s dead boring but everyone says that’s what she needs and he doesn’t get it.

Belle pulls a face. “No.” She pushes out. “I don’t want — you don’t know do you?” Her face switches into a frown, and Seb just stares at her. “About him. About Lachlan, about what he did to your mum when he —“

The music stops or something because he can’t hear anything anymore. Belle’s just sitting there crying and then Robert feels his heart thump out of his chest because he hears his name.

Within seconds he’s there, holding Seb by the arm and trying to steer him away from harms way because Belle’s always been a lose canon when it came to  _him_ hasn’t she? 

“Seb, we’re leaving.”

“No.” Seb manages to say, mouth half open as he works out what the fuck Belle thinks she’s saying. “My mum? What — what’s this Lachlan got to do with my mum?” He’s asking, almost pleading as he watches Liv drag the glass of wine away from Belle’s lips and pull her up the stairs away from sight. “No Liv, let me speak to her, let me —“

“Seb, come on.” Robert says, he’s still got a hand over Seb’s arm but there’s no use, Seb pushes him away and Robert feels hopeless against what he’s about to know.

“Who’s Lachlan?” Seb asks, and Aaron feels like the walls are closing in around them as Robert almost falls back into his arms. There’s too many memories now, they’re swirling about in his mind so much that he feels sick. 

Because all he can think about is Robert being hurt by him, them finding Rebecca’s body, the despair over Seb not knowing his mother.

It comes crawling back.

Aaron pulls a hand across his face as Robert shrinks the way he always does when they speak about the past. About that time. 

“Will someone tell me what’s going on?”

Chas is there, and Aaron looks towards her for a second like he needs her help. She sighs heavily, goes to speak.

“Love.” Chas speaks, hardly makes any effort to sound serious and then she looks at Jacob and Annie. “The kiddies need their beds now, go home and we’ll talk about all of this —“

“Nan please.” Seb’s chin is wobbling and Aaron feels his heart break. 

“Lydia, can you — get the kids out.” Aaron turns quickly, squeezes Robert’s sweaty hand as a way of letting him know what’s happening and within seconds Annie and Jacob are feeding the pigs outside and Seb’s still standing there waiting.

“Just tell —“

“He was your cousin.” Robert blurts out, because he knows he can’t stop this. He knows that it’s too late and his fifteen year old child has to hear about the worst thing that’s ever happened to him before he’s ready.

Seb raises an eyebrow and pulls at the blue hoodie he’s thrown over the shirt Robert’s made him wear. He looks uncomfortable, out of place suddenly and Robert wants to stop before he understands properly.

“My cousin?” Seb says, slow, steady and Aaron nods.

“Yeah mate.” He says, pulling his hands together nervously.

And then he works it out. 

“And he hurt mum?”

Everyone decides that’s when it’s time to leave them to it, give them space or whatever. Diane’s there, head in her hands and Marlon looks like he wants to cry or something.

They all leave and Robert has tears in his eyes as he looks at his son, taller than Robert likes for his age, freckles and a winning smile and this golden heart and —

“He did more than hurt her Seb, he — God, I’m so sorry, he’s the reason why she’s gone.”

Gone is better than what she is really, dead. 

She’s dead because he killed her and Robert didn’t know for weeks and —

“Seb look at me,” Aaron says suddenly, leans over and sees that Seb’s doing what he usually does, bottling things up until he’s breaking things and making them worry. “It’s going to be okay, I promise you, it’s going to —“

“He killed mum. He  _killed_ my mum.” 

Robert has a hand across his face now, blinks through the tears he has in his eyes because they won’t go away. 

“Don’t, please don’t —“

“Don’t what?” Seb says. “Say the truth instead of — of you lying to me.”

“We never —“

“Car crash. Quick. Painless.” Seb knows what he knows because they sat down and told him the lie when he was twelve, explained something more than just that mummy is in the sky looking down on him. 

Aaron winces as he speaks, hears the emotion thick in his son’s throat. He wants to wrap his arms around him, hold tight, kiss his head and rock him until he’s let it all out but Seb’s so angry. He knows.

“ _Painless_.” Seb repeats. “And now, now I know that my cousin killed her. Why? Why would —“

“Seb, you need to calm down.” Aaron moves closer towards Seb, holds up a hand and turns back to see Robert staring blankly like he’s already had to say enough. 

“No. No  _he_ needs to start explaining. Oi. Dad, would you open your mouth and —“

“Don’t speak to him like that.” Aaron fights his corner like usual and Robert pulls his head up. “This, it’s so hard for —“

“How sad for him. He’s not just found out that his mum was killed by someone he’s related to!” It hits way too close to home than Seb expected and he flinches at the look on Robert’s face, the way he cowers under it.

“Seb we — we were always going to tell you.” Robert says, after the longest time in the world. “He was a monster. He wasn’t your family. He never ever will be your family okay?”

He’s angry, he’s fucking fuming as he stands taller and Seb’s there crying in front of him. 

“He killed her?” Seb whispers, like it’s sinking in and his face is pink now, freckles spotted across his nose even more visible. “He took her away from me, why?” 

Aaron shudders. “Because he was messed up.” He says, tentatively strokes at Seb’s arm and tries not to crumble under the pain he sees. “Some sick little liar who hurt us one too many times. But he got caught in the end.”

“When it was too late.” Seb whispers before sighing. “So him and Belle were —“

Robert’s jaw locks as he thinks about it. 

“Until she saw sense and ended up nearly dead herself.” 

Seb blows out a long breath, “But he’s gone now?” He says.

“Seb, he’s never going to touch a hair on your head. You got that?” Robert turns into a proper dad and Seb feels him hold his face in his hand. “He’s gone, he’s gone okay?”

“But he — he took her.” Seb says, chin still wobbling. “She was taken from me, you lied, you said that —“

“Because we couldn’t hurt you.” Aaron says, thinks of all the times where they have tried to get this out. “You’ve been so happy, and now this is on your mind and it’s the last thing we want.” 

Seb wipes at his face as Liv comes down the stairs, explains how Belle is out of it now and sorry. 

“Hey kid.” Liv says warily as she looks at Seb. “I’m so sorry.” Her own chin wobbles and she has her own memories that run through him. 

Seb shudders again, and he can’t breathe against the way they’re all staring at him.

“You’re ours, you know that?” Aaron says protectively as Robert holds Seb’s shoulders. 

“Ours.” Robert whispers, and Seb falls into his chest slowly as the tears roll down his face.

::

Jacob’s deciding to kick every aisle they walk down and Robert feels the frustration rising through him as he lets it happen.

“Seb, you’ll scuff your trainers.” He says, for the third time, now decides to yank his son over the trolley and make him stay put whilst Aaron gets the easy job, walks around picking out fruit with the soft and sensible little girl of theirs.

Figures.

“Alright?” Robert raises his head as he sees Cain standing there with Issac. He nods politely and waits for the questioning. “How’s Seb?”

Robert feels his throat almost close up as he thinks about how quiet he’s been, it’s been nearly two weeks and since that night he hasn’t asked anymore questions at all. It’s like he doesn’t want to know a thing about it, like he’s trying to erase all of it from his mind.

It’s not healthy but there’s not a lot Robert can do about it now.

“Quiet. Quieter anyway. He’s not speaking about it. Any of it.” Robert says, and even Jacob has the decency to stop bouncing in the trolley. He’s a little petrified of his uncle Cain. 

“He’s not been around the skate park either.” Issac says, a mop of black hair and dark eyes and concern written all over his face. “But I’ll keep an eye out for him.” 

“Cheers.” Robert says, feels Aaron snake a hand around his waist as he appears and voices his own concern.

They’re all concerned, that isn’t going to change any time soon and Seb coming home just after eleven a few days later is enough to make everything blow up. 

He slams the door and keeps his head down as he tries to get to the stairs before either of them can corner him.

It doesn’t work, and it’s Robert shouting for him to explain himself before he can disappear.

“Have you seen the time? Where have you been?” Robert’s eyes are wide and Aaron watches from the sofa, biting his lip nervously as he sees the exchange. “What are you —“

“What is this, twenty questions?” Seb shouts back, and it’s not him, he’s gentle, naively so at times and he shouldn’t be this angry but he is. It pours out of him and Robert blows out a breath.

“Oi, enough.” Aaron says, he’s the good cop because he always is, always happens to be more lenient and it works because Seb almost looks sorry. “We get it, this is about —“

“Shut up.” Seb says, and Robert’s eyebrow arches up. 

“Don’t speak to your dad like that.” 

“Why not?” Seb’s bright pink now, his throat is full of all this emotion and he shakes his head. “Is he gonna disappear on me as well?”

Robert swallows, tries hard to keep it together as Aaron comes towards them both. “Your mum didn’t disappear on you, she was —“

“Yeah, I know! Because some psycho took her and now I’ve got half a family left!” Seb screams and it’s enough to wake Annie who appears on the stairs with her pink blanket and a frown on her face. Aaron runs towards her and scoops her up, gently stroking her hair as he carries her back upstairs.

“You haven’t got — you haven’t got half a family left.” Robert says, “Don’t say it like that.”

“He killed my grandad and my aunt and —“

Robert flinches.

“You’ve found out?”

“How couldn’t I?” Seb shrugs dramatically. “Locked up in a shack for all that time, and then he kills her anyway. And then he burns it down, so I don’t even get to see where she was last.”

Robert winces slightly. “I wouldn’t want you to see that.”

“It’s not about  _you_. Or dad. Or Liv. It’s about —“

“I know, I know Seb.”

“How couldn’t you know back then?” 

It’s the question he’s been dreading, the blame, the guilt rises through him and he can’t hear anything at all until Aaron appears and tells Seb to stop it.

“You don’t blame him.” Aaron says, frowning harshly at Seb. “You have no idea what it was like after we found out okay? We — your dad was in bits about it.”

Seb bites his lip the way Aaron does and chews as the tears fall down his face. “Found out a little too late though didn’t you?”

“Enough.” Aaron says again, louder as Robert shrinks.

“No! I’m not a  _kid_ anymore! You don’t get to lie to me and try to treat me like one of your own when I’m not am I? Belle sees through it, everyone sees through it!”

One minute he has his phone in his hand and the next it’s been thrown across the room and crashing towards the glass cabinet filled with pictures of them all.

There’s glass everywhere and Aaron holds his breath as Seb looks down at his empty hands.

“Seb.” Robert says carefully, because he doesn’t know what else to say, because this hasn’t ever happened before, because Seb is so good and this is —

“I’m just like him.” It’s all he says, and then he’s running out the door and Robert finds himself falling into Aaron’s chest and shaking out his fear.

::

Seb’s by the swings when they find him, it hasn’t taken them longer than ten minutes  because he’s still just a kid at heat and that’s what is so horrible about all of this.

His long legs are falling down across the gravel and the light of the moon is the only thing making him visible really.

“Thought we’d find you here.” Robert says, cautious as he speaks and Seb keeps his head down like he can’t bring himself to raise it just yet. “Though you’re a little bit big for swings now don’t you think?”

Aaron almost smiles. “Jacob’s even getting too —“

“Did they hear? Are they — are they scared?” Seb raises his head up, his nose is pink against the cold and Aaron’s heart sort of breaks as he looks at him.

“No darlin’.” Aaron says, he used to call him that when he was little because Chas did the same and it stuck. “Vic’s with them, they’re still tucked up in bed.”

Seb blinks slowly. “Good.” He says, half a smile on his face. “I didn’t want to — to scare them, I didn’t mean to do any of that.” He says, adamantly.

He looks so disappointed in himself and Robert can’t help but reach out and touch his son’s shoulder. 

“We know.” Robert says, because that wasn’t his kid, their kid, that was a sad and messed up boy who needs help. 

“Yeah?” Seb looks up again and Aaron nods his head, closes in so that he can kiss Seb’s head. “I just got angry and lost it. Maybe that’s what he did. Just got angry. Maybe I’m just like —“

“ _Never_.” Robert stresses now, wants this known, wants Seb certain that his psycho sick cousin has nothing to do with him and never ever will. 

“I’m related to him though aren’t I?” Seb says, squints harshly because they can’t deny that. Robert drops his head a little, walks across towards him and leans against the swings, thinking so far back that he almost feels dizzy. 

“You know your grandad,” Robert blows out a breath, feels the emotion get caught in his throat and Aaron can’t believe how brave Robert is being. “He — he was a good man but he didn’t like me being who I was. Bisexual, you know?” Seb nods along and Robert feels Aaron squeezing his shoulder encouragingly. “So he hurt me for it. Just the once, but it was enough. And I grew up thinking that I could be capable of that too. I could have kids, and hurt them.”

“You wouldn’t.” Seb says suddenly and Robert nods.

“I knew that too see, I knew I couldn’t but I also knew I was his son, that his anger and disappointment was in me somehow and I couldn’t help it.” Robert hasn’t spoken about this before, he’s not ready to taint the memories he’s built up for his son of his grandad just yet but he needs to know this. 

Aaron squeezes on his shoulder again and Seb’s eyes fill with tears. 

“But I was wrong, okay? Because some things don’t get carried on like that, they just don’t. And Lachlan has nothing to do with who you are now.”

It makes sense. It makes Seb shudder and wrap his arms around himself and then Aaron’s pulling his coat off and handing it over before crouching down towards Seb.

His knees crack a little and he’s getting too old for this but he smiles as he goes and tries to hold himself together before he speaks.

“You know how I’ve always said my dad wasn’t — he wasn’t a very nice man.” He’s always said, always made sure that he knows exactly why they don’t speak about him. Seb nods. “Well he, he did some things that —“

“Dad you don’t have to.” Seb says, because he’s already knows. It’s a small village at the end of the day. 

“No I do because I thought I couldn’t be a dad to you because of him.” Aaron says. “And when we were thinking about having Jacob. I — I couldn’t get passed the fact that I could be him one day, angry and bitter and —“ Aaron hugs himself and Robert has a hand tight across his neck, stroking over and over. 

“You’re the softest man I know.” Seb says, a smile on his face through the tears. “Daddy fluffy remember?”

Aaron laughs at that, rubs a hand over his eyes and actually laughs. “Oh God.” He says. “And you got Jake and Annie saying it n’all.” 

“He couldn’t help himself.” Robert whispers, hand still stroking as he looks up at Seb and then blows out a breath. “Seb, what he did was — but he’s nothing to do with ya.” He tries to smile. 

“But — the way I, the remote hitting the —“

Aaron gathers Seb up in his arms, holds Seb’s face towards his as Robert has a hand across the boy’s back.

“You’re  _all_ ours.” Aaron says passionately, in a way that always makes Robert feel a little light headed after all this time. “You belong. Here. With me and your dad and Liv, Jacob and Annie. That’s your family okay?” Seb nods lightly. “And my crazy lot, his crazy lot, they all love you and you  _belong_.” 

Robert blinks as he tries not to cry. “Mate, they loved you too you know? Your aunt, your grandad, your — mum. And we need you to know that you fit here with us. Always have, always will.” 

Seb is bright pink now, all freckles and blond hair and clear eyes. 

“Okay.” Seb says, almost rolls his eyes because he’s a cheeky so and so. “Stop going on, I get it.” Robert half smiles, shares a look with Aaron and knows without a shadow of a doubt that there’s still sadness there, one that won’t ever go away. He knows that Seb doesn’t deserve to have this fucked up past either.

“Good.” Aaron says, raises to his feet and watches Seb do the same. “And next time, leave the remote where it is yeah?”

Seb’s blushing and looking all sorry and then he’s in Aaron’s arms, Robert’s kissing his head and then he’s walking ahead of them as they head home.

Robert pulls Aaron closer towards him like he needs the comfort and the younger man stretches his fingers into his husband’s.

“God I love you.” Robert says, almost too overwhelmed with everything to speak properly about how he feels. He just knows the really simple things like he wouldn’t have been able to do any of that without Aaron by his side.

“Hmm?” Aaron mumbles, walking slower. “Where’s that come from?”

Robert stops them, points to his chest and smiles. “In here you daft idiot.”

“You  _sap_.”

“What? I’m emotional, I’ve got ever right to be.”

Aaron looks serious. “He’ll be alright.” He says. “Issac will make sure of it, and so will all of us.” He smiles faintly, hand across Robert’s waist and then he leans in and kisses him gently. There’s hardly any heat to it. Just this soft rhythm that screams ‘I’m still here, I’ll always be here’

Robert takes, holds and then pulls away as he hears Seb calling for them to stop acting like kids and hurry up before he locks them out.

“Yeah. He’ll be just fine.” 

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always appreciated!


End file.
